


Love and Blindness

by Doberaptor



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Cloned Brother, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hordak-centric (She-Ra), Horde Clone - Freeform, Horde Clone freeform, Horde clone culture, M/M, Mentioned Horde Prime (She-Ra), Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:35:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doberaptor/pseuds/Doberaptor
Summary: But in those blissful moments after the defeat of Prime and the end of the Galactic Horde, Entrapta had everything she could ever want.  Hordak was back, he remembered her, and he was with her once more. But Entrapta knows that friendship with the Princesses is complicated.  It included names like "Geek Princess" and getting dragged around on a leash.  She knows Hordak's fate isn't decided yet and she can't keep him safe if he's dragged off to a jail cell to face charges.So, she spirits him away off the battlefield.  It is a desperate choice, one she knows her friends will not understand.  But she's already lost him once. She can't lose him a second time.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 49





	Love and Blindness

**Author's Note:**

> Begins immediately after Prime's death in the Battle for the Heart of Etheria. We see Prime's final moments, and Hordak's recollection of what followed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Begins immediately after Prime's death. Entrapta and Hordak are reunited and now Entrapta must make a life-altering decision. Does she trust the Princess Alliance or......not?
> 
> Friendship has never been easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wound description is necessarily graphic. Description of blood splatter and loss of part of an ear. Not excessively gory.

[ __ ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f5aa530c09200434cb97e519fa5c68b4/744fa9ea7c3861d7-bc/s1280x1920/8c1810268e1ba0e53ceb7c3a692064543c12a61d.jpg)

_“Though all is reduced to rubble, Prime shall rise again. So it has been, and so it always shall be,”_ Prime snarled in Hordak’s voice. 

He’d stumbled backwards, landing awkwardly in the grass. It made him pause, in that moment. He could feel the grass between his fingers, feel its weird, hair-like texture, an odd distraction in this awful moment. Grass. When was the last time he felt…..grass? A moment ago, all he’d felt was rage, all-consuming fury at this planet and its defiance of his will. And now…..grass? He bared his teeth at her as she advanced, she’d won this round, but Prime was infinite, Prime was ETERNAL. 

She Ra’s eyes glowed as she walked toward him, kneeling down to take his face in her hands. Her hands were warm on his cheeks. Warm….and THRUMMING with power. Her fingers curled in, clutching. Prime shuddered. 

“No,” she said in a measured voice. “You’re wrong. It’s time for you to go.”

Prime’s eyes widened. Then he began to scream.

***

_“I remember you…”_

_That….is what I said to her when I finally realized who she was. When I realized she was that baby in the field, the one I’d found when I was looking for a portal home. I had….almost left her there. I could see the portal’s energy signatures everywhere, the grass itself nearly glowed with power. I could tell I was only moments too late. So CLOSE. So NEARLY HOME. But instead all there was, was this….infant._

_People say I did not know what an infant was. That is untrue. I knew by then that all sentient Etherian species had immature forms and required a period of time for full development. It seemed like such a tremendous waste, but then my people were built for efficiency. Etherians are….not. I nearly left that infant in the field where I’d found her. I assumed the parent would come along shortly to reclaim it. Or not. Either way, it was of no moment to me. All I knew was that my way home had vanished only a moment before my arrival. And all the Light and hope within me…..vanished as well._

_I knelt down in the grass and wept. “WHY have you ABANDONED me here?” Such a pointless question. My Brother had not abandoned me—he had sent me to the front lines to die with honor. And I knew why I had been sent away—I was defective. I was broken. I was useless. There is no place in the Galactic Horde for imperfection. Horde Prime could have killed me, but instead he gave me one final honor—I was gifted the death of a hero._

_But even that I could not adequately manage. Instead, I was trapped in a shadow dimension, marooned on a backwater planet filled with the nonsense of magic and myth. And my only way home had just slipped through my fingers, leaving in its wake……just this baby._

_The infant made a noise. That was what brought me out of my misery. It made a little noise and I turned and realized it was staring at me. The eyes were wide and blue. It…she…reached for me with one hand, making that strange noise again. I picked her up and wrapped her in my cloak. “You are as alone as I am.”_

_I did not realize how true those words would prove years later._

***

There was greenery everywhere now. One could nearly hear the grass as it spread—there was a soft, sparkling crackle as roots reached out, caught hold, and pulled themselves forward. Flowers sprang up randomly, opening in the wondrous light that emanated all around. She Ra walked along the battlefield, spreading life and rejuvenation in her wake. Prime was gone, the Heart disabled, Etheria was finally safe. Those still living sought each other out with joy and tears. Even Hordak and Entrapta.

“HORDAK!” Entrapta screamed when she saw him, standing there on the hill, looking lost and confused. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. “Oh I’m so glad you’re back! Oh we have so much to talk about!” 

And he was speechless, his entire being suffused with love for her. And finally, finally one hoarsely whispered word as he wrapped his arms around her, daring to believe she was real. “Starlight.” 

But elsewhere on the battlefield, not everyone was happy at the reunion between Hordak and Entrapta. 

“So…..are we all just like, okay with this?” Mermista asked suspiciously, watching the two embrace. She turned to Sea Hawk. “Because…..I’m really not.” Salineas was still a smoking ruin, its people homeless.

“But dearest, now is a moment for celebration…” he stammered, eyes widening. “Surely even you can see this calls for jubilat---”

“Can it. I’m serious. I am NOT okay with this.” She pulled away, turning to Glimmer and Adora. “Are YOU two okay with this?” 

She Ra looked puzzled. “Uh….okay with what?” Beside her, Wrong Hordak’s ears flickered and drooped in confusion. 

But Glimmer was a little faster. She’d been expecting this from Mermista but now was not the time for retribution. “Yes. We are okay with this.” She glanced at Entrapta and Hordak, who were still in each other’s arms, laughing and talking. The joy in Hordak’s voice was…..jarring. She looked at her father’s face, seeing the hollow emptiness as he watched the man who’d imprisoned him on Beast Island looking profoundly fulfilled. “At least for now.”

“Oh no…..” Mermista began. “No no no. Salineas was DESTROYED…”

“Please, Brother,” Wrong Hordak held up his hands, his ears low and miserable. “Please, why are you angry?”

But Glimmer cut them both off with a wave of her hand. “Mermista, hear me: We are fine with this. At least FOR NOW. Wrong Hordak, nobody’s angry at anybody. It’s fine. It’s FINE.” 

Entrapta and Hordak weren’t listening. Everything they had was for each other in that moment. Prime was gone, Hordak was free, and Entrapta was safe. She realized she couldn’t stop laughing, even as tears streamed down her cheeks. “You DID IT,” Entrapta cried, hugging Hordak tightly with her hair, her gloved hands on his cheeks. She kissed him once again on the mouth, murmuring, “You DID it….”

Hordak closed his eyes, holding her close. “No. You did, Starlight. You did.” ‘ALL of this….for you. All of it.’ His breath hitched, chest too full to speak. She was here, she was alive, she was SAFE. That was all that mattered. She was alive. And she was SAFE. ‘My Starlight…’ 

It was perfect. 

Absolutely perfect. 

Then she pulled away, magenta eyes filled with concern. Entrapta watched the Princesses where they were laughing and talking—Perfuma and Scorpia were hugging, Frosta’s arms were around Swift Wind’s neck, even Catra was happy. Catra was….smiling. But Mermista was already standing over Glimmer, radiant with anger and purpose. Wrong Hordak was standing close to the Queen, backing away in fear. “We….have to go,” Entrapta whispered. 

Hordak blinked, surprised. “Where….do we need to go?” He realized he had nowhere. The _Velvet Glove_? The Frightzone? All of this was…..gone. 

“Dryl,” Entrapta answered quickly. “And we need to go now. Please Hordak. Listen to me. We NEED to go.” She glanced again at the Princesses, seeing Glimmer’s face harden as she motioned angrily at Mermista. So it was beginning. She knew it wouldn’t take long, but she’d hoped she had a little more time than this. 

She quickly surveyed the field, locating those she’d need to retrieve. Wrong Hordak was too far away, still too close to Glimmer, trying to make peace between her and Mermista. And Emily the Bot was busy racing around, tootling happy little beeps. Entrapta whipped out her tracker pad, hastily mapping out coordinates and sending them to Emily so the bot could find them later. But Wrong Hordak….she’d need to find a way to get close to signal him to follow. 

Once she had everyone, she could remotely summon a transport from Dryl, that much was simple enough. She just had to get them away from the Princesses before it occurred to anyone to stop them. 

The field was littered with confused, wandering cloned Brothers. One of them shambled over, his eyes wide and yellow, expression slack. A deep gash ran diagonally along the left side of his face, crossing his left eye, the surface of which was dim and milky. And fully half of his left ear had been sliced completely off. Phosphorescent blood stained his cheek and had splashed his uniform, but he seemed unaware of the gruesome injury. His ears flickered in all directions as he sought the perpetual murmur of the Hivemind, the ruined ear splattering droplets of glowing blood. “My Brothers,” he whined softly, staring at Entrapta and Hordak but not appearing to see them. “Where…are my Brothers?” He reached out, shoving Entrapta aside to touch Hordak’s face. “Why….can I not hear your voice?”

Hordak grabbed his Brother’s wrist, snarling. “How DARE you put your hands on her?” 

But Entrapta stopped him. “Wait. Wait….” She looked at the clone, who was still staring at Hordak, yellow eyes wide and confused, lids blinking away the oozing blood. Hordak’s ears were pinned back with murderous anger. She stepped between them, deftly loosening Hordak’s grip one finger at a time, “You can’t hear your Brothers, can you?” 

The lost one looked up at the sky, his ears twitching and flicking in all directions. Fresh droplets of blood spattered his uniform and his cheek from the ruined ear. He shuddered and rubbed the back of his neck, then seemed to be listening once more, seeking his Brothers’ voices with every sense he had. Finally his attention returned to Entrapta as he replied mournfully. “No. Where is Horde Prime? Why is everything so SILENT?” 

Entrapta had jammed the signal for the chipped Etherians, but not for all the cloned Brothers. Their network to each other had apparently died when Prime did. She caught his hand with her hair, holding it gently. “You can’t hear your Brothers because the network is down.” She looked around, there were so many of them wandering now, calling to each other, calling to Prime. So many. Too many. This was exactly the distraction she needed to get Hordak and herself away unnoticed, but they were….so lost. Casualties of this war, just as the two of them were. “Do you want to come with us?” 

The Brother nodded silently, eyes filling with tears. 

“Then you gather up everyone you can, but be quiet about it…” It was a risk. A larger group meant greater chance of discovery. But she couldn’t just leave them there. And maybe, just maybe, Wrong Hordak would come away from Glimmer and Mermista long enough for Entrapta to gather him up too. Maybe. She turned back to the lost Brother. “No shouting. Just go up, tap them on the shoulder, and motion for them to follow. Say ‘The network is down, come with me.’ Can you do this? I want you to especially try to get THAT one.” She pointed to Wrong Hordak. “Try. If he won’t come….then…..” ‘ _I’ll have to come back for him_ ,’ she thought grimly. She wasn’t going to just leave him behind either. She was responsible for him now. “Just…..do your best. Remember. ‘The network is down, come with me.’” 

“The….network is down. Come with me,” the Brother replied gravely, his voice quavering. 

“Yes. Remember. No shouting. And follow us to these coordinates….” She showed him the tracker pad. It would lead them to a secluded copse of woody chaparral far away from the battlefield. There was a rocky outcrop, but Entrapta was reasonably sure she could find a path down into the valley below. “Bring as many as you can. ONLY tell your Brothers the coordinates. Do NOT tell anyone else.” This was a stupid risk. She knew this. She should have used the wandering wall of meat as a distraction to buy more time. But they were so lost. Some of them were sitting in the grass crying. “Can you do this?”

“Yes, Brother. I can do this.” The clone smiled hesitantly. His ears flickered uncertainly, splattering little drops of glowing blood.

“Good.” And then to Hordak, “We have to go. Please. Just come with me.” Entrapta pulled off her glove, taking Hordak’s in her own. “Please.” 

Hordak’s green eyes blinked, his ears low. “Yes.”


End file.
